Tagged - Top 5 Wax Tart Vendors

Some bloggers have been posting lists of their favorite vendors in response to some newer wax buyers questions about which shops to try.  Lauren, from Lolo Loves Scents, already has her list HERE, and Abby, from SoCalCandleGal, has her list HERE.  Abby then tagged me and a few others to do our own lists, so I'm going to give it go.

Coming up with my Top 5 is going to be hard.  You might not believe it, but I really do not buy nearly as much wax as a lot of others in this crazy wax-addict world.  I seem to do small orders from random vendors, with little return business.  With the start of this new year, I had wanted to pick just one or two vendors and stick with them, but I don't think that's going to work because I'm already itching to order from several other places.  (Oooh, this just gave me an idea for a new tag-post!)

The picture above is not an accurate representation of my list because, well obviously there should be five vendors in there but I only have four.  I don't have any tarts from one of the places I want to mention, and really I don't even know what my Top 5 are anyway.

So let's stop nattering and get down to business.  I'm not going to put these in any order . . .

• Sweet Fixations - I've placed two orders and am currently waiting for a huge third order.  I *think* this might be me go-to shop from now on.  I love that I can get single scallop tarts, and can order as many or as few as I want, not having to deal with Pick 5 or Pick 10 type bundles.  There is a great scent selection, but it's not so long that it's overwhelming and redundant.  You can find all the popular scents, as well as many in-house custom blends.  Single tarts are $1.25, scent shots (tarts in cups) are $1.50, and there are several other shaped options like little cake bites, hearts, brittle, and others.  Shipping is $5.00 for orders $0-$21, $6.00 for orders $21.01-$49.99, and free for orders of $50.00 or more.  You get a free 4-pk of scallop tarts with orders of $40 or more.  There is a Ready To Ship section, which ships within two days.  And she does include free samples with every order.
• Front Porch Candle Co. - Maybe this one shouldn't even be on my list because I'm so back and forth about this vendor.  I do love the tarts, absolutely.  I love the grubby style, and the cute packaging.  They've performed well for me in my large, open area rooms.  Ordering and shipping has gotten A LOT better . . . but there are still some problem spots.  While they do have free shipping all the time, their prices are getting quite high for the amount of product you get ($1.75 for single 1 oz. grubby tarts).  It might be time for them to reconsider the free shipping and bring prices down to something more comparably competitive.  It can also be frustrating when you see so many wonderful scents you want to try in their scent list yet it's only the same handful of popular type scents that are continually restocked.  Even so, I am currently hooked on this vendor, as my recent large haul shows.
• Candles From The Keeping Room - If this vendor would offer single tarts for sale I think they would be my favorite.  But they don't.  They offer 4 oz. and 8 oz. bags, and some other options.  Oh well, the shaped tarts are adorable, strongly scented, and come packaged so cute and country in clear cello bags tied with homespun.  Shipping is fast and they include tons of free samples.  Win, win!!  There is an extensive scent list, all the popular scents and plenty of custom blends.  I just wish they offered single tarts!
• Walmart tarts (Better Homes & Gardens / Scentsationals) - These might not even qualify to some people but I have always loved these tarts.  Most people who have not tried them, automatically poo poo them because they are from *Walmart* and because they are only $2.00.  Let me tell you though, these have consistently been the strongest and most reliable tarts I have used.  The scent selection is limited but fairly decent.  (Depending on your particular store, the choices may be severely limited.)  They've had some huge seasonal scent releases in fall and winter, and seem to come out with more subtle seasonal types in spring and summer, like lots of fruity things in summer.  They are clamshell style tarts, which means six cubes, and a total weight of about 2.5-3 oz. . . . for just $2.00.  Plus, since you are sniffing them right there in the store, you already know if you like them or not.  I've never done it (yet) but you can order the Better Homes & Gardens tarts through the Walmart website, and the Scentsationals through their own website.  Prices are higher online though.  (Oh my!  I just noticed on the Walmart website that there is a Paula Deen brand of tarts now.  I will have to look for those next time I'm shopping!)  So yeah, not a private vendor but dang good tarts just the same.
• Scent Appeal Candles - I've placed two orders from here and it was the second one that convinced me.  She went out of her way to try making some scents blends that I'd asked about, and one was so good she added it to her regular line.  She patiently and promptly answered all of my questions, always in a friendly manner.  Her scallop tarts are sold in 3-pks for $1.75, but there is a 6-pk bundle option for $3.25 which lets you choose the six scents you want, so it's then like getting six singles.  She also has clamshells for $3.00, and scent shots for $1.50.  This is an Etsy shop, so it may appear her scent selection isn't as huge as other shops but you can always look back through the 'sales' to see what scents might just be gone for the moment, or you can contact her to see just what else she might have.  Shipping is fast, quality is great, and she does include samples.  I hope she makes the move to her own website one of these days.

These are not my absolute Top 5 though.  I debated putting Kim's Tarts on the list but in reality, it's been so long since I've ordered from there that, well, how could I say it's one of my favorites?  I do know I've enjoyed the tarts I've had from Kim's in the past.  She was always well known for her super affordable price of $1.50 for a 3-pk of scallop tarts.  I see she now has free shipping on orders over $30.  Hmmm!  And there are several other vendors that I've enjoyed but just haven't had enough experience with to know if they're a favorite or not.  But I guess these would be the ones that I favor at the moment.

And since I was tagged, I will pass this tag along to some other blogger friends (some of which were already tagged by Abby) . . .

• Weekly Wax Review (Jordan has been gone for a while with some health issues but I hope she's doing better and returns soon!)
• SugarLemonFizz
• So Sweet Smelling
• Utterly Ellie (who I'm trying to draw back into this world because she's been hiding far too long)